We left the swatch colors on the wall and whenever someone would come over, we would make them tell us which color they liked the best. This may have led to a few uncomfortable moments for our guests cornered in our kitchen but in the end, it was decided both on the internet and in-person that our kitchen called out for a teal blue.

Last weekend, my parents come over to help Scott paint the nursery (more on that later) and I thought since I had my minions cornered, I'd also have them paint the kitchen. I prepped the area by taping the wall and moving all the stuff off the counters. I had Scott wash the wall with TPS (toxic but effective cleaner) before handing over the paint brushes and paint.

Scott and my Dad did a wonderful job on the kitchen (and nursery!). I'm in LOVE with this color. It was just the punch of color that the kitchen called out for. Now I want to replace the curtains with something funky and fun. Of course that might lead to having the other walls repainted so I'm going to hold off until my minions have forgotten about all the hard work they did for me last weekend.

Way back in May, I cast on for the Stripe Study Shawl. I loved the design and it was a great way to use up some of my stash. I hit a few roadblocks along the way to a quick finish though. First I rannout of yarn and had to wait for more to arrive.

Then I developed carpel tunnel syndrome which really slowed down my progress. In the end though, it was well worth the wait. I love this shawl and can't wait to wear it when the weather begins to cool.

As good luck would have it, my good friend Meg is also pregnant and I'm so very excited for her. This baby has been long in the wanting and will be smothered with love when she makes her appearance in October. Way back in the day when Meg threw my bridal shower, I told her that I would one day throw her a baby shower and so when she told me she was pregnant, I began planning her shower.

I wanted this to be a shower filled with love, food and fun! I scoured magazines, I searched websites and I kept my eye open for ideas. Martha Stewart featured a Book Themed Baby Shower in MS Living and I knew I had found the perfect baby shower theme. Then Meg's dad made her a bookcase which cried out to be filled with lovely children's books.

I asked everyone to bring their favorite children's book along with a present for Hazelnut (My nickname for Meg's baby). I printed out book plates from MS on label paper and asked people to inscribe them for the baby.

Since Meg and I HATE baby shower games, I decided to have a few activities to keep the party flowing. I had a "Suggest a Name for Hazelnut" station along with a "How Well Do You Know Meg?" game. I think Meg was grateful that I didn't make people wrap her in toilet paper or something like that. She did laugh at some of the questions on my activity and shot me a dirty look for including the question, "What is Meg's Favorite Curse Word?" as her in-laws and other family were at the shower.

Meg received a lot of wonderful baby presents and TWO quilts! Her Mom made her the lovely one above and our friend Amanda made the gorgeous quilt below. I was in awe at the handiwork involved in both of the quilts. And since Meg is a knitting friend and we have a lot of friends that knit, she received so many beautiful baby hand-knit sweaters.

All in all, it was a lovely shower and I'm sure Hazelnut now knows how loved she is by all of us. I can't wait to meet her!